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The University of Phoenix College of Security and Criminal Justice and SIA have partnered to provide those who have completed a SIA Certified Security Project Manager credential with 21 credit hours to apply toward a bachelor of science in security management.

The goal, according to a prepared statement, is to respond to industry demands by providing flexibility to security professionals to advance and increase skills in the ever-changing industry.

“University of Phoenix is proud to partner with the Security Industry Association to provide security professionals with flexible learning options and industry-aligned curriculum that will further their education and build upon the skills gained through a CSPM certificate,” Spider Marks, executive dean for University of Phoenix College of Security and Criminal Justice, said in the statement.

Security professionals holding CSPM certificates have a minimum of approximately three years of hands-on project management experience. However, a survey by the Project Management Institute found that the majority of CSPM certificate holders in the United States do not have college degrees.

“The increasing complexity in the security industry has resulted in expanding demands for educated professionals,” said Don Erickson, SIA chief executive. “This agreement offers seasoned practitioners who already possess management experience to apply their practical skills toward a degree that supports their career advancement while also meeting industry needs.”

The agreement between University of Phoenix College of Security and Criminal Justice and SIA is just one example of a growing list of strategic initiatives the college is undertaking as it increases its focus on meeting educational needs within the security sector, it said.

The stories in our newswire this week are part of our annual Women in Security special report. When I interviewed Bodil Sonesson, VP global sales for Axis Communications, we were talking about her work outside of Axis, as a member of the board of directors of a public company based in Norway. I was interested to learn that public companies in Norway are required to have a certain percentage of women on their corporate boards.

Sonesson said that she was recruited for the board. It wasn't easy, the headhunter told Sonesson, to find a woman with extensive experience with global sales and marketing and an advanced business degree. To find a woman who met that profile the headhunter told Sonesson, he just needed to "try harder."

"I wouldn't be on the board if it wasn't for that quota," she said. "Once they found me, I had a chance. It was up to me to do a good job," she said.

The story reminded me of a joke we have at my house. When they were younger, my kids would open the refrigerator and without looking inside they'd say, "Mum, where's the butter?" I would remind them, that just because the butter, or whatever they're looking for, did not fall into their outstretched hand, it does not mean there's no butter in the fridge. Sometimes you need to take a few extra minutes and look around.

Sonesson, who oversees a global sales team that's grown eightfold under her leadership, said she believes diversity in the workplace is important, and advises recruiters she works with to "try harder" to find the right candidates for jobs.

Today there are more women than men on the corporate board where Sonesson is a director. And, yes, it's a profitable company that's doing well.

Trying harder to increase diversity of all kinds—gender, race, age, ethnicity, experience—makes good business sense. Think about it. Your shareholders may thank you.

This year we've profiled four leaders in our industry, Bodil Sonesson, Axis Communications VP global sales; Jill Lloyd, owner of Lloyd Security; Bethany Taylor, Dakota Security director of operations; Judy Randle, president of Central Montoring. Our Five Questions this month features Cassie Weaver, operations coordinator for Dakota Security. We also have a general news story about how security companies use social media which features three women: Rebecca Matson Purtz of director of business development for Matson Alarm; Alison Shiver, residential sales and marketing manager; and Kristin Milner, ADS director of marketing.

SAN ANTONIO—I've spent several days recently with two major camera companies, Hikvision and Axis Communications. The last week in October I was on a Hikvision trip to China where I met with executives from the company, toured the headquarters and one of their factories, and also went to China's version of ISC West. This week I'm in San Antonio at the Axis partner event.

There are more than 400 integrators and technology partners here this year. Yesterday's agenda included information on the company's technology road map, a panel discussion on school security, an IT director for Westgate Resorts, and a forensics expert talking about camera evidence and how integrators' careful design and installation of video surveillance can help in law enforcement, rescue efforts, and criminal prosecution. There were also break-out sessions and there's a full agenda for today as well.

I'll have more stories on both the Hikvision trip and the Axis event, but I took note that both companies made a point to talk about cybersecurity, both internal efforts to ensure that their products are safe and external efforts to educate their integrator partners on best practices.

This is good news. It's about time the physical security industry starts talking about the cyber elephant in the room.

When I was at Hikvision, the president of the company, Yangzhong Hu and Hikvision international marketing director, Keen Yao fielded questions about cyber breaches the company has suffered. They also talked about their efforts to correct problems and instill cybersecurity best practices internally. Hu said the company has partnered with international cybersecurity companies and professional hackers to proactivley test products, protocols and processes associated with cybersecurity.

Hikvision has a Security Center section on its website, which includes information about any current problems with its products, a location to report security issues, advice and best practices for end users and integrators on cybersecurity. Hikvision has also spoken about cybersecurity at ISC West, PSA-TEC and it will speak at ISC East next week as well. The goal, according to Hikvision North Amercian marketing director Alex Asnovich, is to share cybersecurity knowledge and best practices with the entire industry.

Yesterday at the Axis event, Sal D'Agostino, CEO of IDmachines, who has been working with Axis on cybersecurity, and John Bartolac, who heads up cyber strategy for Axis in North America, led a break-out session about cybersecurity and the threat landscape. They introduced Axis's new "hardening guide", a 25-page document of cybersecurity best practices and protocols. Bartolac said Axis has been working on the cybersecurity issue for six years (most notably with its government customers). It is now expanding its efforts to educate its integrators and other partners about cybersecurity.

I've heard lots of cybersecurity statistics, and they're always chilling, but D'Agostino showed a live map of cyberattacks yesterday. Check it out here.

D'Agostino said the guide includes many "easily actionable items" for systems integrators.

The threat continues to evolve, he said. Not only do integrators have to worry about safeguarding the video that comes out of the camera, they need to be concerned about cameras being “taken over and used as a weapon.”

D'Agostino pointed out that using cybersecurity best practices and helping end users understand protocol is a great way for systems integrators to "have a conversation with the IT side of the shop."

“As cameras are used not just as a security device, but as a business-enablement tool, you’re going to find yourself in a situation where you’ll be talking to the chief marketing officer or the IT department itself,” D’Agostino said.

Integrators who have cybersecurity knowhow can help IT department understand the value of their video data to the corporation, he said.

Bartolac said that Axis has a roadmap of cybersecurity tools that it will be offering to integrators. The hardening guide is just the beginning, he said. Axis also has plans to share cybersecurity best practices with the industry at large.

At TechSec, we've been talking about cybersecurity for a few years. Here's a link to a story about a TechSec educational session led by Diebold's Jeremy Brecher that we did in 2014 about cyber attacks and the potential problems for physical security devices. We'll be talking about cybersecurity in the cloud at our Cloud+ conference Dec. 7-8. Rodney Thayer, who's an expert in designing network security systems and hacking, is doing a not-to-be-missed educational session at Cloud+. Check out the educational program here.

PSA Security is also taking the lead on educating the industry about cybersecurity. PSA has a wealth of information on its web site. Click here.

SIA and Security Systems News hosted a webinar last week, focusing on I-View Now and what video verification can do for alarm businesses. Presenters underlined the value and importance behind verification, such as the ability to provide police with more information before dispatch.

The panel, moderated by SSN’s VP and group publisher Tim Purpura, featured Larry Folsom, president of I-View Now, Michael Keen, VP of commercial sales for Protection 1, and Alice DeBiasio, general manager, cloud services at Honeywell Security and Fire.

I-View Now integrates disparate surveillance video into one unified interface for video verification, making the process easier on central station operators.

I-View Now is also integrated with home automation devices such as Honeywell’s Total Connect. Folsom said that consistency is important; as in having the same views for both the central station operator and for the end user checking in on their system.

Some devices, like cameras, are now sold I-View Now Ready, meaning that it can connect with the platform automatically, reducing the amount of install time.

Purpura asked the webinar audience, “What percentage of your current account base requires some sort of verification before dispatching police services?” Just under half said that verification is needed on less than 20 percent of their accounts. Twenty-eight percent need verification for 20 to 40 percent. Fourteen said between 40 and sixty percent of their accounts, and 9 percent said more than 60 percent of their accounts.

Some of these results could be due to non-response cities—areas that require verification before dispatching police. Although, Folsom said, “Additional information is just helpful regardless of the city’s response policy.”

The panel also addressed the DIY market. Folsom pointed to the difficulty for 911 centers, that calls from cell phones often reach the wrong 911 center.

Folsom said DIY/MIY Market isn’t a threat, but instead an opportunity. Keen said that Protection 1 adopted DIY solutions as a way to reach customers outside the company’s network, and reach the “tech-savvy” customers that enjoys installing the system themselves. DeBiasio pointed to a potential to eventually upsell DIY customers to professional systems.

XANDEM HOME in Salt Lake City is launching its new DIY home security and automation product that tracks the location of moving people.

The product, which can be installed by homeowners in about 15 minutes, the company says, allows users to monitor where people are moving throughout their homes without using invasive cameras. Think of the safeguarding lasers of the “Mission Impossible” movies, because that’s what it looks like.

The product detects and locates movement through walls and furniture to cover the entire house; integrates with other smart-home systems such as lighting and audio; triggers a siren to scare intruders away and sends mobile app notifications; and includes an API so developers can use the company’s Detect and Locate technology in their own apps and products.

XANDEM, started in a basement in 2008, has been selling in prototype form, but has made advancements such as the phone app and so forth, Joey Wilson, company founder and CEO, told Security Systems News.

“We’re taking orders for XANDEM HOME via Indiegogo soon,” he said.

The company recently received grants from DHS and the National Science Foundation.

“What we’re seeing is that it used to be if you wanted a security system in your home, you could go to a custom professional or get a rinky dink local package and they could slap it down,” Wilson said. “But now … DIY and MIY are growing rapidly.

“We’re very connected to the IofT. We are not an alarm company. We’re an amazing technology company, not even a security company. We’re like Nest or Dropcam. You can put this in yourself or have an integrator put it in,” Wilson said.

SALT LAKE CITY—The downtown venue that is home here to the Utah Jazz NBA team and is the region’s premier concert and entertainment spot will now be called the Vivint Smart Home Arena.

The renaming comes along with a partnership between Vivint and Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment. Financial terms of the 10-year agreement were not disclosed, according to a prepared statement.

The 19,911-seat facility, formerly known as EnergySolutions Arena, hosts about 1.8 million guests and more than 100 sports and entertainment events each year, the companies said.

“The Utah Jazz and the arena are proud to have Vivint as our new naming rights partner,” LHMSE president Steve Starks said in the statement. “Vivint is a long-time supporter of the Jazz, is a Utah-based company, and has a deep commitment to the community and our fans. These were all qualities we looked for when we began this process.”

Headquartered in Provo, Vivint says it has more than 1 million smart home and security product customers and 8,000 employees in the United States and Canada.

“The Utah Jazz and the arena have been an incredible economic engine for this region, and have created a tremendous sense of pride among Utahns,” Todd Pedersen, CEO of Vivint, said in the statement. “This agreement extends far beyond a typical ‘logo-on-the-building’ arrangement —it’s a true partnership built around innovation, community impact and the drive to elevate the prominence of Utah.”

LHMSE and Vivint say they have formed a multi-faceted strategic marketing partnership that will include an interactive “Vivint Smart Home Experience” on the arena concourse, expertise in products and services to improve the game night fan experience along with upgraded security and automation technology at the basketball facilities.

The two companies say they will also be collaborating on an autism awareness campaign as part of their joint community outreach.

If you’re too focused on industry news these days, as many of us tend to be—present company included—here’s a look at what at least one mainstream media outlet has to say about the latest in home protection.

“What was previously only possible in sci-fi movies is now becoming reality,” the Huffington Post said.

Sometimes it’s helpful to get a look at what the “real” people out there are hearing—and to learn from that. Some of these are big “duhs!” from you industry folks, but I do think it’s important to hear.

So here goes—the following is taking off in the form of home security, according to the Huffington report:

· Remote monitoring.

· Smart door locks

· Home sensors

· Smart garage systems

· Fingerprint scanners, including fingerprint door locks

· Smart cameras

· Complete home automation system

The report goes on to say that “the digital revolution has made its way into our homes.” For you readers, I hope it makes an even bigger dent in the near future.

Alison Levine is a New York Times best-selling author, she worked on Wall Street for several years, and she has climbed the highest peak on each of the seven continents and skied to each of the geographic poles. She is also the second day keynote for this year’s CONNECT.

Levine translated her experiences climbing Everest—twice—into business advice. On her first attempt she did not reach the summit. Storm clouds were moving in, Levine told the audience, and she made the decision to turn the team around several hundred feet from the summit, knowing that there wouldn’t be enough supplies to try to reach the summit again. Levine stressed that it’s not always about following a plan, but reacting to the situation that’s important.

Levine did reach the summit on her second attempt. You don’t need to be the best or strongest climber to reach the summit, Levine said, “You just have to be relentless about putting on foot in front of the other.”

Following that was the next round of breakout sessions. Judy Randle, president at Central Monitoring, presented “Run your Business like a Franchise: Why Policies, Processes and Procedures are Important.” Randle outlined the different manners for establishing systems within a business, like setting up checklists, creating manuals on company culture as well as rules for individual roles.

A main objective is giving staff a measure of what’s expected of them, so they can be held accountable. Having employees initial checklist items instead of crossing them off also makes them accountable, she said.

An attendee of the session pointed out that these tactics are about managing processes, not people—to which Randle agreed.

Before heading into my last educational session, I met another one of the Wayne Alarm Systems team, Zachary Preman, company sales consultant.

During this session block, I attended “Twitter Tales/Facebook Follies/Let’s LOL with LinkedIn.” To start, Jason Lutz, a business development manager with Honeywell, said that this presentation would be more like a panel; it featured Rebecca Matson Purtz, director of business development for Matson Alarm, Kristin Milner, director of marketing at ADS Security, and Alison Shiver-Hime, residential sales and marketing manager from Shiver Security Systems.

Shiver-Hime started the session with the point that companies should have a “media calendar,” updating certain content on certain days or specific media. For example, on Mondays, Shiver Security posts about benefits of having a system, and on Wednesday’s they share “dumb criminal” stories.

ADS has been on social media since 2009, Milner said. She mentioned several ways the company has positively used social media, including Facebook, blogging and sharing images and videos. Milner also addressed social media outlets that haven’t worked for ADS, such as Pintrest and only sharing product-related posts.

Matson Purtz said that Matson Alarm primarily uses Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The company sees the most engagement with “scary stories,” statistics on crime for local cities.

Over lunch, I had a very nice conversation with John Colehower, managing director of Mergers & Acquisitions, about the sessions of this year’s CONNECT. He found yesterday’s keynote, Jason Doresy to be particularly valuable.

After lunch, I ran into Michael Duffy of Per Mar Security Services again. I chatted with Duffy and Jim Dewitt, president of Legends Security & Sound, about topics like DIY and the 2G sunset panel from yesterday. Just as I was heading out, I met John Cerasuolo of ADS Security.

That about wraps up my Honeywell CONNECT 2015 experience. I’ve had a great time here in Scottsdale, and look forward to hearing more about Honeywell and its authorized dealers in the future.

Friday, Oct. 23

I started out the second day of CONNECT by meeting Duncan Hubbard, central station manager for Holmes Security Systems, at breakfast, along with two people from Ackermany Security Systems: Teresa Reynolds, national accounts manager and Terrail Brown, commercial accounts. Also at the table was James Neeley, owned of Allied Security.

Marek Robinson, Honeywell’s president of authorized dealer programs, opened the first general session by thanking those dealers who participated in Honeywell’s first charity incorporated into CONNECT, packing hygiene kits for a homeless shelter for young adults.

The session also introduced some large concepts: the connect home, connected business, and the idea of “fast forward”—what the industry will look like in the coming years. Connectivity is going to grow, said Inder Reddy, Honeywell VP of global marketing, but “As systems get more complex, our job is to demystify them.”

Todd Rief, GM of the newly formed Honeywell Security and Fire division, shared his perspective, placing emphasis on partnership, execution, and innovation for the future.

Robinson then introduced the first guest speaker, John Cerasuolo, president and CEO of ADS Security. Cerasuolo stressed the importance of preparing your company to adapt, in light of the difficulty of predicting the future. His advice for this included staying informed about industry trends, investing in your people and picking the best partners.

Following Cerasuolo, Dave Sweeney, CEO of Advantech, came on stage to talk about other strategies of planning for future growth. He pointed to the next generation, and attracting members of it by staying active on social media and creating a positive company culture.

Lastly, Bob Pearson, president of W2O group, continued with the topic of social media, impressing the value of representing your company on it as well as the low cost of it.

My first session for the day was Barry Epstein, president of Vertex Capital, presenting “Timing Your Exit: An Update on Multiples and the Multiple Threats to Your Account Base.” A prevailing message was that private equity groups are currently—and will continue—showing strong interest in the security industry. Epstein also discussed DIY and telecoms as among forces threatening RMR bases.

From there I went to the session “Net Promoter,” presented by Todd Julien, director of sales for Doyle Security. The company has been using the Net Promoter Score, based around the question of whether customers would recommend Doyle to a friend or relative, to gain a “window” into how their clients view them.

Understanding this metric can show who’s likely to promote and refer business on to others, as well as which customers are most displeased. Doyle first started monitoring its NPS in 2011, and has seen it rise 20 percent since then.

At lunch I enjoyed speaking with Troy Dillard, president and CEO of Dillard Alarm Company—one of the companies awarded with Honeywell’s Circle of Excellence award earlier in the day.

Just before heading into the second general session, I met Scott Haynes, president for Seacoast Security, and Steve Haynes, company VP—others who had come to CONNECT all the way from the great state of Maine.

In the second general session, Alan Stoddard, Honeywell senior director of marketing started by identifying four “pillars” of the connected home; it needs to be open to bringing in other technologies, well integrated, easy to use and still remain secure.

From there, Rick Koscinski, Honeywell’s sales leader—central, talked on the connected business and its many opportunities, twice that of the connected home, he said.

Alice DeBiasio then presented on Honeywell’s views toward the cloud. Mirroring Stoddard, she pointed out four pillars to cloud: accessibility, cost effectiveness, scalability, and fast implementation.

Robinson then came on stage to introduce CONNECT 2015’s first keynote speaker Jason Dorsey, a best-selling author focused on Millennials. Dorsey, in a comedic and high-energy presentation, highlighted differences between Millennials, Gen Xers, and “Boomers,” such as cell phones, work ethic and learning styles of Millennials alongside training techniques for them.

Of the first afternoon sessions, I went to “Three Strategies to Combat Attrition,” presented by two from Alarm Capital Alliance: Kelly Bond, company SVP of business development, and Jason Grelle, VP of business development.

Grelle first defined attrition simplistically as “loosing customers you once had.” From there Bond further subdivided attrition into two groups: gross attrition and net attrition, the latter factoring in customers gained as well as those lost.

There’s two other groups of attrition: ordinary, and extraordinary. “Ordinary” is events outside of the company’s control, such as the death of a customer, while “extraordinary” attrition is something a company can control, like poor service.

Two other key points were that understanding attrition is important to knowing the sellable value of the accounts, and tracking attrition can reveal problems or the opportunities to better help customers who haven’t been paying.

My final session for the day was “Radio Transmission and WiFi Communication Strategies,” presented by Quentin Gunther, a business development manager for Honeywell, and Spencer Smith, president of Alarm Protection Systems.

One main theme to the session is that transferring accounts to 4G in preparation for the 2G sunset takes a specific and detailed plan. Smith shared his experiences, highlighting the best result from bringing on one coordinator and one technician, specifically to handle the task of 4G conversion.

On the topic of Wi-Fi communications/IP signals, Gunther said that, in recent years, reliability of internet connectivity has increased as well as customer acceptance of the internet as a main mode of communication.

Thursday, Oct. 22

I arrived in Phoenix about 4 p.m. local time, got to the hotel with plenty of time for the opening reception. I had a great time meeting new folks and seeing some familiar faces, all while hearing about expectations for this year’s CONNECT.

It was great to meet John Loud, President at LOUD Security System, and chat about how the CONNECT event has changed over the 10 or so years he’s been attending. He says this year brings more educational opportunities.

Dave Hood, president of First Alarm and a 19-year veteran to Honeywell’s annual gathering, also told me that more education has been a trend.

I briefly talked with Chuck Speck, president of Bold Technologies, who said that the company’s seen some good growth this year. Bold should be on track to add 50 central stations to its automation this year, he said.

I got the chance to meet Barry Epstein, president of Vertex Capital. Tomorrow he’s presenting “Timing Your Exit: An Update on Multiples and the Multiple Threats to your Account Base”—I look forward to attending it.

Bart Didden, CEO of USA Central Station, is one of the people I’ve spoken with but—until now—hadn’t met face-to-face.

Robbie Robinson, a detective with the City of Phoenix intvestigating repeat false alarm offenders, was telling me about his perspective on current problems in false alarms. One example he gave of a current issue was commercial businesses being mislabeled as home residencies, misleading responders to thinking its misinformation when they arrive at a storefront.

I also chatted with Brent Franklin, president of Unlimited Technology.

Scott Srolis, national sales director for URC, was telling me a bit about the company's approach to the smart home: integrating connected devices into remote controls.

I had a nice talk with Gary Hutter as well. Hutter is the VP of Western Alarm Services, based in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., on the far western side of the state.

Wednesday, Oct. 21

Tomorrow, I’m making the trip from Maine to Scottsdale, Ariz., to attend this year’s Honeywell CONNECT conference. Check back in on this blog to hear about encounters and sessions from the show, as I’ll be updating it daily.

A few sessions have caught my eye right off the bat. “Timing Your Exit: An Update on Multiples and the Multiple Threats to Your Account Base,” and “Twitter Tales/Facebook Follies/Let’s LOL with LinkedIn,” both sound really interesting. Feel free to let me know which sessions you think will be the biggest.

If you’ll be at the show and have something new or exciting happening with your company, feel free to email me at sives@securitysystemsnews.com or send me a message through the Honeywell CONNECT 2015 app. If you’ll be there, I look forward to seeing you in Arizona!

CORK, Ireland—Tyco today announced it has named former Dish Network executive Robert E. Olson, 56, EVP and CFO effective in November. He will replace Arun Nayar, 65, who will retire at the end of the year.

Olson comes to Tyco from satellite communications company DISH Network, where he was EVP and CFO. From 2006-2008, Olson served as CFO of Trane Commercial Systems, the largest operating division of American Standard. He also served as EVP and CFO of AT&T's Consumer Services division and later its Business Services division. He held leadership roles at American Airlines.

Olson has a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Alabama and a Master's degree in business administration from UCLA.

Nayar will serve as an advisor until the end of the year when he will retire from Tyco.

In a prepared statement George R. Oliver, Tyco's CEO said: "Robert's effective record in chief financial officer roles combined with his broad experience in service-oriented technology companies will be especially valuable as we grow our services and solutions businesses."

In connection with the announcement, the company reaffirmed its guidance of $0.60 to $0.62 of earnings per share from continuing operations before special items for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2015.

Bold Technologies has launched its new cloud-based automation platform, Manitou Cloud Services, and is working to add 30,000 accounts to it by the end of the year, Rod Coles, Bold’s president and CEO, told Security Systems News.

Designing the service to be UL compliant was the company's top priority, Coles said, and it is currently in the process of attaining that certification.

Coles said the release of Manitou Cloud Services was sooner than he expected and credited a rise in consumers’ confidence in cloud-based systems. “Hosted solutions seem to have a better reliability than individual service because they have so much redundancy.”

“The first installations will be on our existing Manitou platform,” Coles said, but the cloud automation will also be ready to use Manitou Neo, the next version of Bold’s central station automation, to be released in 2016. Coles estimated its release to be around ISC West 2016.

Bold first talked about the service at its annual Users’ Group Conference in early August, Coles said, and now has a couple of clients transitioning.

Bold has experience with hosted services, according to Coles, through similarities with the company’s disaster recovery center—a separate cloud-based center that Bold has been offering for years.

The cloud center will be based in Colorado Springs, Bold’s hometown, because of the area’s small risk for natural disasters and its location between both coasts, the company said.

Manitou Cloud Services can make operations easier for Bold users, according to Coles. “We’re getting to the stage now where people [have] to replace their hardware, every few years. They're also having to employ staff to look databases, to look after operating systems to make sure that these things are running 24/7. All of these [issues] go away when you have a hosted solutions.”